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You Will Love This!

I have always LOVED rocks and minerals. Always. It really ramped up in sixth grade when we rented a home whose exterior was entirely rocks. It was a fairyland! That's where I discovered mica for the first time. There were exposed areas with sizable chunks of stacks of glittery whisper thin layers of mica. I remember picking the chunks out and keeping them in a kleenex (to cushion them) in a metal band-aid box. My treasure! I still have it today.

It has always just boggled my mind the beauty that God has hidden in the earth for us to find. So much beauty. Such variety. And if you slice a rock just 1/4" from the last slice, it's different yet again! And He put it all there knowing it would be eons before any human eye would see each piece and give Him glory for His creation. I have always deemed it the greatest "easter egg hunt" in history.

I took my girls to the local rock and mineral show each year growing up. We couldn't afford much, but each girl got to choose a new rock from the 25-50 cent boxes each year to built our collection. They remember it fondly today and can name them and describe them still.

I have excitedly collected rocks my entire life. That included a few small squares of granite samples from Lowe's and Home Depot. Just enjoying their beauty. You can imagine my excitement when The Accidental Remodel this year ended up with granite countertops! I can't convey how excited I was. I got to choose from the cheapest grade and chose the Verde Butterfly. I spent a lot of time and we even traveled to a main warehouse in Nashville to select our slab since I didn't find one I wanted here. That's why it was so devastating that the granite fabricator ripped us off and all the edges are dull...and not fixable. You can see in the pictures that every edge is dull and that's with us doing everything known to man, including turtle wax, to try to bring a little shine, but to no avail. But the tops are lovely. These are the first pictures that have shown how beautiful the stone really is. I hope you can see it.

That brings me to today's project. Granite countertop slabs come in different grades/price brackets and the most beautiful are called "exotics". They are oh so expensive! When we chose our slab, the warehouse had samples too. Some of them were actually 12" squares. I fell in love with this sample and they gave it to me. The edges aren't finished, but I gave the entire piece several coats of granite sealer when I sealed the new counters. Now it won't absorb stains or moisture on the edges. The top is the same quality that finished counters are - yeah!

I used E-6000 to attach heavy felt to the underside so it wouldn't scratch anything it was set on. But I found it very difficult to pick up as it's heavy and flat on the surface. So, I glued these heavy duty clear feet on the corners (again with the wonderful E-6000). It raised the tile high enough to easily get fingers under it to pick up. Oh it's sooooo beautiful!!!! And now it's useful too!!! It has sparkles and rich patterns and colors in it and is absolutely breathtaking! To make it even better, I spent less than $3 for the feet and felt! To buy a granite "cutting board" is $80 and up!!!! Not bad! :)

I haven't figured out the perfect place for it yet. These months it's been on my dining room table, turned as a diamond. It's the perfect hot pad to be sure, and a nice riser, but I don't really want to have it there 100% of the time. It could go on the kitchen counter, but given that the counters are granite too, it seems silly and just takes up space. I have glass shelves and coffee table top where it could work, but am not willing to risk the weight breaking them. So, it hasn't found the right home yet, but Mama LOVES it and praises God for His blessings. I enjoy just looking at it, even with a magnifying glass. So breathtaking!

So there's another serendipity God has given us through this crazy Accidental Remodel! Hope this gives you some ideas of how to use those "free samples" you sometimes come across.